News from Tim Lawrence

June 15, 2008

It almost goes without saying; the big story around the national office is that everyone is "slammin' to get ready for national conference." I'm not sure who coined that term around here, but it's gained in popularity. So while you hold that image in mind of many people spending their days pounding conference into shape, I'll go straight to ...

Highlights

In May 22, I met with the student organization directors on the National Coordinating Council of Career and Technical Student Organizations (NCCCTSO) at the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) in Washington, D.C. Assistant Secretary Troy Justesen hosted the meeting, and we were joined by what seemed to be the entire OVAE staff. We had a wide-ranging discussion. Among the topics were two new guides being updated on the student organizations: one on accessing federal Perkins funding and a second is a reference guide to the CTSOs. There's a possibility that Secretary Spellings could meet with the students in the coming months, and there was discussion of a new OVAE policy statement in the works about the student organizations. The new statement will include language supporting career pathways and clusters. Stay tuned: movement toward programs of study and clusters could affect the structure of CTSOs. On a bright note, when the organizations reported on this school year, SkillsUSA was happy to say we'd had a banner year.
Staff members and I visited Kansas City on May 19 and 20 to talk some business. We had the pleasure of honoring six unions whose volunteer support of our conference through the years has been of immeasurable help. The event was during the "Best of Kansas City" luncheon where volunteers citywide were recognized. It was also a great opportunity to promote our conference in front of the Kansas City business community.
Speaking of Kansas City and national conference, we're looking at a conference registration of over 9,200 this year. That's a four percent increase, and our largest NLSC ever!
Staff reports that Courtesy Corps is on track and 167 students are signed up to volunteer their services during the conference.
We've now field-tested seven of the Skill Connect Assessments including the employability skills assessment. Testing was done in 92 schools and involved over 1,300 students. The testing is still underway. We're getting favorable reviews from the instructors.
I've mentioned this year's record membership previously - of course - but part of our success certainly goes to the Drive for Five Campaign underwritten by Jig-A-Loo. As campaign prizes, SkillsUSA has given away $500 cash awards to one teacher from each of the five SkillsUSA regions. All five were drawn at random from the lists of instructors who had increased their membership by five. The overall winner has also been drawn and will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to conference. Certificates, pins and prizes were all made possible by Jig-A-Loo. The winners are as follows:
- Region 1 - $500 Winner-Mike Jellison, Penobscot Job Corps, Bangor, Maine
- Region 2 - $500 Winner-Mike Lynn, PTEC Saint Petersburg Campus, Saint Petersburg, Fla.
- Region 3 - $500 Winner-Steven Andrews, Delta Schoolcraft ISD-Escanaba, Escanaba, Mich.
- Region 4 - $500 Winner-Mike Roddy, Metropolitan Community College, Omaha, Neb.
- Region 5 - $500 Winner-Ross Rector, Chandler High School, Chandler, Ariz.
- Grand Prize Winner-$1,500-Don Runyan, Cleveland High School, Reseda, Calif.
The 70-page report on the work I've been doing with the Job Corps Advisory Committee is available online at http://jobcorps.dol.gov/article_pg1.htm. Among the recommendations is providing students with better "real-world" career and technical education and training curricula based on nationally recognized industry standards. Now, what does that sound like? It's worked for us, that's for sure.
A quick tip of the hat to YDF member Lillyan Hoyos of The Stanley Works. She called to say she believes she's got the interest of some reporters who write for many national outlets, and she got them interested when she told them about the SkillsUSA Championships. Lillyan is always thinking of promotion. We love it.
Finally, we had a great visit here last week at the National Leadership Center with SkillsUSA Massachusetts association director Karen Ward and her new assistant Nanci Johnson. Karen said it was easier to just have Nanci come down and visit us for a day to see what national SkillsUSA is about rather than trying to explain it. From Karen's follow-ups, I'd say we met her expectations. We also got a chance to hear about the growth and success of the Massachusetts association, and there's no doubt the Massachusetts board of directors including district school superintendents, school administrators and industry have made important strides to improving education and training. It's all helped to make SkillsUSA Massachusetts our second largest association.

Sample Press Release for NLSC Competitors and Participants
A sample press release has been added to SkillsUSA's advocacy site. It's a template to be used by state association directors, instructors, parents and others to help get the word out to the media when they return from conference about the students who competed or participated in some other way (i.e., as a delegate, courtesy corps member, etc.) in the SkillsUSA Championships and the National Leadership and Skills Conference. The letter can be sent to five media outlets at a time. The site can be reached by going to this link and click on "advocacy site." Please spread the word about this valuable tool to let the media know about their students.

National Courtesy Corps Auction
The auction team has decided to limit the number of state pin sets and will only need 15 from each state this year.

Don't forget to bring your items for the NCC auction Friday morning. If you plan to donate something, and you have not already let the auction committee know, please send a quick e-mail to Marilyn Moore at moorem@harrisonville.k12.mo.us.

Got Champions?
At the national conference, the staff of the SkillsUSA Champions magazine will be on the lookout for interview subjects and cover models.

If you know of a SkillsUSA student, advisor, industry representative or alumnus who will be at conference and would be a great Champion to interview for our magazine, please e-mail Tom Hall (thall@skillsusa.org). He'll then set up a specific time to meet with our staff.

If your student could be a potential cover model, there are designated "photo studio" hours. Please pass these times on to your students:

Wednesday, June 25, 1 p.m.-2 p.m., Bartle Hall, Room 2212 (near the business center between Lobbies 2200 and 2300)
Wednesday, June 25, 7 p.m.-9 p.m., at the Champions Festival (Hyatt Regency Crown Center, near the entrance to the Exhibit Hall)
Friday, June 27, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Bartle Hall, Room 2212

Four photos will be chosen to appear on SkillsUSA Champions covers next year. The remaining photos will appear in various materials, from the membership poster to other promotions.

Our magazine staff looks forward to meeting your Champions at conference!

Alumni 5K Champions Run
SkillsUSA will be holding a new twilight 5K Champions Run to benefit the Alumni. Sponsored by the U.S. Army and managed by the Kansas City Track Club, the run takes place on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 6 p.m. at Liberty Memorial Park, across from Union Station and the Westin Hotel. Registration is $10 per person before June 1 or $15 after June 1 and includes a unique t-shirt and a medallion for all finishers. Awards will be presented to the top three males and females in each category: partners, professionals (any adult), students and alumni. Runners, joggers, walkers or groups are all welcome. No headphones, strollers, animals, skates or skateboards will be allowed on the racecourse. Any school groups or instructors running with their students are encouraged. To download a race registration form, go here, or register at the Alumni Booth #222 on Monday-Wednesday (June 23-25, 2008) until noon.

That's it for now. Thanks for all you do as champions of SkillsUSA!

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News from Tim Lawrence June 15, 2008 It almost goes without saying; the big story around the national office is that everyone is "slammin' to get ready for national conference." I'm not sure who coined that term around here, but it's gained in popularity. So while you hold that image in mind of many people spending their days pounding conference into shape, I'll go straight to ... Highlights In May 22, I met with the student organization directors on the National Coordinating Council of Career and Technical Student Organizations (NCCCTSO) at the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) in Washington, D.C. Assistant Secretary Troy Justesen hosted the meeting, and we were joined by what seemed to be the entire OVAE staff. We had a wide-ranging discussion. Among the topics were two new guides being updated on the student organizations: one on accessing federal Perkins funding and a second is a reference guide to the CTSOs. There's a possibility that Secretary Spellings could meet with the students in the coming months, and there was discussion of a new OVAE policy statement in the works about the student organizations. The new statement will include language supporting career pathways and clusters. Stay tuned: movement toward programs of study and clusters could affect the structure of CTSOs. On a bright note, when the organizations reported on this school year, SkillsUSA was happy to say we'd had a banner year. Staff members and I visited Kansas City on May 19 and 20 to talk some business. We had the pleasure of honoring six unions whose volunteer support of our conference through the years has been of immeasurable help. The event was during the "Best of Kansas City" luncheon where volunteers citywide were recognized. It was also a great opportunity to promote our conference in front of the Kansas City business community. Speaking of Kansas City and national conference, we're looking at a conference registration of over 9,200 this year. That's a four percent increase, and our largest NLSC ever! Staff reports that Courtesy Corps is on track and 167 students are signed up to volunteer their services during the conference. We've now field-tested seven of the Skill Connect Assessments including the employability skills assessment. Testing was done in 92 schools and involved over 1,300 students. The testing is still underway. We're getting favorable reviews from the instructors. I've mentioned this year's record membership previously - of course - but part of our success certainly goes to the Drive for Five Campaign underwritten by Jig-A-Loo. As campaign prizes, SkillsUSA has given away $500 cash awards to one teacher from each of the five SkillsUSA regions. All five were drawn at random from the lists of instructors who had increased their membership by five. The overall winner has also been drawn and will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to conference. Certificates, pins and prizes were all made possible by Jig-A-Loo. The winners are as follows: Region 1 - $500 Winner-Mike Jellison, Penobscot Job Corps, Bangor, Maine Region 2 - $500 Winner-Mike Lynn, PTEC Saint Petersburg Campus, Saint Petersburg, Fla. Region 3 - $500 Winner-Steven Andrews, Delta Schoolcraft ISD-Escanaba, Escanaba, Mich. Region 4 - $500 Winner-Mike Roddy, Metropolitan Community College, Omaha, Neb. Region 5 - $500 Winner-Ross Rector, Chandler High School, Chandler, Ariz. Grand Prize Winner-$1,500-Don Runyan, Cleveland High School, Reseda, Calif. The 70-page report on the work I've been doing with the Job Corps Advisory Committee is available online at http://jobcorps.dol.gov/article_pg1.htm. Among the recommendations is providing students with better "real-world" career and technical education and training curricula based on nationally recognized industry standards. Now, what does that sound like? It's worked for us, that's for sure. A quick tip of the hat to YDF member Lillyan Hoyos of The Stanley Works. She called to say she believes she's got the interest of some reporters who write for many national outlets, and she got them interested when she told them about the SkillsUSA Championships. Lillyan is always thinking of promotion. We love it. Finally, we had a great visit here last week at the National Leadership Center with SkillsUSA Massachusetts association director Karen Ward and her new assistant Nanci Johnson. Karen said it was easier to just have Nanci come down and visit us for a day to see what national SkillsUSA is about rather than trying to explain it. From Karen's follow-ups, I'd say we met her expectations. We also got a chance to hear about the growth and success of the Massachusetts association, and there's no doubt the Massachusetts board of directors including district school superintendents, school administrators and industry have made important strides to improving education and training. It's all helped to make SkillsUSA Massachusetts our second largest association. Sample Press Release for NLSC Competitors and Participants A sample press release has been added to SkillsUSA's advocacy site. It's a template to be used by state association directors, instructors, parents and others to help get the word out to the media when they return from conference about the students who competed or participated in some other way (i.e., as a delegate, courtesy corps member, etc.) in the SkillsUSA Championships and the National Leadership and Skills Conference. The letter can be sent to five media outlets at a time. The site can be reached by going to this link and click on "advocacy site." Please spread the word about this valuable tool to let the media know about their students. National Courtesy Corps Auction The auction team has decided to limit the number of state pin sets and will only need 15 from each state this year. Don't forget to bring your items for the NCC auction Friday morning. If you plan to donate something, and you have not already let the auction committee know, please send a quick e-mail to Marilyn Moore at moorem@harrisonville.k12.mo.us. Got Champions? At the national conference, the staff of the SkillsUSA Champions magazine will be on the lookout for interview subjects and cover models. If you know of a SkillsUSA student, advisor, industry representative or alumnus who will be at conference and would be a great Champion to interview for our magazine, please e-mail Tom Hall (thall@skillsusa.org). He'll then set up a specific time to meet with our staff. If your student could be a potential cover model, there are designated "photo studio" hours. Please pass these times on to your students: Wednesday, June 25, 1 p.m.-2 p.m., Bartle Hall, Room 2212 (near the business center between Lobbies 2200 and 2300) Wednesday, June 25, 7 p.m.-9 p.m., at the Champions Festival (Hyatt Regency Crown Center, near the entrance to the Exhibit Hall) Friday, June 27, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Bartle Hall, Room 2212 Four photos will be chosen to appear on SkillsUSA Champions covers next year. The remaining photos will appear in various materials, from the membership poster to other promotions. Our magazine staff looks forward to meeting your Champions at conference! Alumni 5K Champions Run SkillsUSA will be holding a new twilight 5K Champions Run to benefit the Alumni. Sponsored by the U.S. Army and managed by the Kansas City Track Club, the run takes place on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 6 p.m. at Liberty Memorial Park, across from Union Station and the Westin Hotel. Registration is $10 per person before June 1 or $15 after June 1 and includes a unique t-shirt and a medallion for all finishers. Awards will be presented to the top three males and females in each category: partners, professionals (any adult), students and alumni. Runners, joggers, walkers or groups are all welcome. No headphones, strollers, animals, skates or skateboards will be allowed on the racecourse. Any school groups or instructors running with their students are encouraged. To download a race registration form, go here, or register at the Alumni Booth #222 on Monday-Wednesday (June 23-25, 2008) until noon. That's it for now. Thanks for all you do as champions of SkillsUSA!